Court directs nationwide GI product cataloguing in Bangladesh

The court has mandated that this catalogue must be submitted by March 19, as per the pronouncement made on February 19 by the High Court bench, consisting of justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir.

This instruction came forth during the hearing of a writ petition, where the court additionally issued a rule inquiring about the rationale behind the authorities’ failure to act in creating and registering a list of GI products, hinting at the potential illegality of such inaction.

Responding to this rule, the commerce secretary, agriculture secretary, culture secretary, and other pertinent officials have been allotted a span of four weeks.

Barrister Sarowat Siraj Shukla from Tangail, serving as the petitioner of the writ, took charge of presenting the case.

Notably, on February 18, Barrister Shukla lodged a public interest litigation in the High Court, advocating for the compilation of a comprehensive inventory of all GI products in Bangladesh.

The backdrop to this legal action lies in a recent controversy where India reportedly claimed ownership of the centuries-old tangail saree by recognising it as a GI product of West Bengal.

This move sparked widespread debate and condemnation.

In response, on February 8, the Ministry of Industries in Bangladesh swiftly swung into action, bestowing GI recognition upon the tangail saree as a product indigenous to Bangladesh.

This legal intervention underscores the significance of safeguarding Bangladesh’s cultural and commercial heritage by ensuring the rightful recognition and protection of its unique products.

It also serves as a reminder of the ongoing importance of addressing cross-border intellectual property disputes to preserve the integrity of national heritage and economic interests.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DR)